White Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake (Elegant 4-Layer Show-Stopper, 3 Hr)

I made this cake for my sister’s birthday and she nearly cried. Four layers of soft white-chocolate cake, raspberry jam between every layer, a smooth white chocolate buttercream, fresh raspberries piled on top. It looks like a wedding cake. It tastes even better.

I’m not going to lie to you, this takes about three hours. But most of it is just waiting — for layers to bake, for cakes to cool, for the buttercream to come together. The active work is maybe an hour.

What you need

For the cake (you’ll bake it in two pans, twice — or four pans at once if you have them) — 3 cups of cake flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, one cup of softened unsalted butter, two cups of sugar, four egg whites and two whole eggs (room temp), a tablespoon of vanilla, 6 ounces of melted white chocolate, one cup of whole milk, half a cup of sour cream.

For the raspberry filling — one cup of seedless raspberry preserves, one cup of fresh raspberries lightly mashed, a teaspoon of lemon juice, a tablespoon of cornstarch whisked with two tablespoons of water.

For the white chocolate buttercream — two cups of softened unsalted butter, six cups of powdered sugar, 8 ounces of melted and cooled white chocolate, a quarter cup of heavy cream, two teaspoons of vanilla, a pinch of salt.

To decorate — two cups of fresh raspberries, white chocolate curls or shavings, fresh rosemary sprigs, a dust of powdered sugar.

How I make it

Heat the oven to 350. Grease two 8-inch round pans and line them with parchment.

Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together. Beat the butter and sugar for three minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the egg whites first, then the whole eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and the cooled melted white chocolate. Then alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk and sour cream until everything’s just combined — don’t overmix.

Divide between the two pans. Bake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for ten minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Repeat with the other two layers (or bake all four at once if you have the pans). Let everything cool completely, then chill the layers for an hour — this makes them way easier to assemble.

For the raspberry filling, simmer the preserves, mashed berries, and lemon juice in a saucepan for a couple minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Simmer another three minutes until thick. Cool completely.

For the buttercream, beat the butter for a full five minutes until it’s pale and fluffy — this matters for the texture. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Then beat in the cooled white chocolate, the cream, and the vanilla. Three more minutes on medium until silky.

To assemble: trim the domes off the cakes if needed. Slice each layer in half horizontally so you have four thinner layers (or just use four if you baked them that way). Place the first layer on a stand. Pipe a buttercream dam around the edge. Fill the center with raspberry filling. Top with the next layer. Repeat. Crumb-coat the whole thing in a thin layer of buttercream and chill for 30 minutes.

Apply the final layer of buttercream, smoothing the sides and top. Pipe rosettes on top, pile fresh raspberries in the middle, tuck in some white chocolate curls and rosemary, dust with powdered sugar.

Refrigerate for half an hour before slicing. Use a hot dry knife and wipe between cuts.

A few notes

The cake keeps in the fridge for five days. You can also freeze it whole or in slices for a couple of months.

If you want to make it ahead, bake the cakes two days early, assemble the day before, decorate the morning of.

Frozen raspberries work for the filling, but use fresh ones for decorating.